Trudeau, SquadLocker partnership makes for great appearances

GREEN GARDENERS: Among the Trudeau Center officials and members who took part in last Thursday's official dedication ceremony of a beautification partnership were (from left) Sandy McKay, David Crowley, James Fadgen and Melissa Miller.

That could easily be the title for a recently-formed partnership between the J. Arthur Trudeau Memorial Center at 3445 Post Road and SquadLocker at 240 Bald Hill Road. It’s also a joint venture that is about landscaping, beautification and everyday opportunities.

“The Trudeau Center is awesome,” said Jeffrey S. Deckman, CEO of Capability Accelerators. “And SquadLocker has a big heart. It’s a wonderful venture that will do nothing but grow through the years.”

SquadLocker recently reached out to Trudeau to see how they could contribute to the non-profit’s efforts. After several meetings, the sides came up with what some people called “a unique undertaking” to have the Trudeau people do what Deckman later called “a beautification project.”

Officials from both sides met during recent weeks to design, buy, dig and plant some cool landscaping in front of SquadLocker’s headquarters that for years was home of Rhode Island’s famous Eclipse Coffee Syrup.

“The Trudeau people were great to work with,” Deckman said. “And the Center’s members did a lot of the work. It has been fun for all and productive as well.”

The Trudeau Center actually designed the landscaping, planned the project, selected the shrubs and flowers, dug the ground, planted and watered. Moreover, Trudeau members go back to SquadLocker, which paid for all the necessary materials, every week to maintain and keep everything healthy.

Last Thursday, SquadLocker senior vice president Todd Grant, and Deckman, who serves as a public relations specialist for the apparel giant, welcomed Trudeau officials for a special unveiling of the project’s colorful logo, a T-shirt presentation, ribbon-cutting and congratulations ceremony for what is only phase one of the beautification project.

“We are really pleased to be able to partner with the Trudeau Center,” Grant said. “Everyone has been great to work with and really accommodating. As part of our commitment to be socially responsible, the partnership with the Trudeau Center is incredibly important.”

But Grant, as well as SquadLocker CEO/president Gary Goldberg, wanted it understood the recent beautification project isn’t just a one-time deal.

“This project is only the first phase of what will be an ongoing partnership into the future,” Grant said. “It also is an excellent example of what can happen when business and community organizations partner with one another. Not only are we providing them a vocational outreach opportunity, but next year this landscaping project will extend into a vegetable gardening project.”

Grant explained the vegetable gardening project.

“Together we will work to grow and provide harvestable vegetables that will be donated to those community groups whose focus is to reduce hunger in our state,” he said.

Needless to say, Trudeau members like Joe Pannell, Joe Boyajian, James Fadgen and David Crowley are thrilled to be part of the unique project and receive their specially designed T-shirts that read “SquadLocker Gardening Team.”

Also taking part in the ceremony were Trudeau officials Melissa Miller and Sandy McKay.

“SquadLocker not only provides apparel and gear for our athletes,” Miller said. “They enhance our community. SquadLocker has teamed up with the Trudeau Center to enable individuals with disability to participate in a gardening project. This also enables individuals to explore different vocational opportunities while building skills and developing community relationships.”

Miller, who serves as a behavioral specialist, was excited about the work that has already been done and what the partnership with SquadLocker will become in the coming years.

“The product is beautiful,” Miller said while looking at the new shrubs and flowers the Trudeau members planted in front of the huge building. “The process enhanced lives. We thank SquadLocker for expanding our connections in the community and working with us on this meaningful experience. We look forward to our continued relationship with SquadLocker and expanding our community connections ever further in the year to come.”